Lean On Me
When it comes to leading a healthy lifestyle, there is strength in numbers.
Working out with a friend or significant other provides encouragement to lift more, run farther, and lose those last couple pounds. But the benefits extend beyond the physical results to the lessons learned about what it means to be a friend or lover – the relationship building that takes place.
A more toned body is just icing on the cake.
While many workouts can be done side-by-side with someone, few emphasize teamwork like PARTNER ACRO YOGA. Taught locally by CAPE FEAR CIRCUS ARTS STUDIO, the aim of Partner Acro Yoga is similar to traditional yoga – to achieve “oneness” by connecting mind and body – but with an added person in each pose. Another two people if you count the spotter.
It’s about working together through combined strength, flexibility, balance, and, most importantly, trust and communication.
Even the class itself cannot be taught with just one instructor, so Cape Fear Circus Arts Studio owners JAMIE POLETTI (above), a former competitive gymnast, and STEPHANIE NADEAU, a classical ballet dancer, must do it together.
“What makes this form of fitness so unique is that you need someone else to do it. You can’t do it by yourself,” Poletti says.
The very foundation of Partner Acro Yoga is honoring your partner’s place and purpose – an important part of any relationship.
Not to be confused with clown training and lion taming, circus arts are a form of performance art and fitness that focus on namely acrobatics and aerials, with or without props such as hoops and fabric silks.
Partner Acro Yoga specifically is done on a mat and focuses on the three main skills of bone stacking, counterbalances, and flying poses. Working in groups of three, students take turns practicing the base, flyer, and spotter positions – accomplishing a full body, and mind, workout in just one short hour.
Anyone, regardless of age, body type, and fitness level, can practice Partner Acro Yoga including the base position.
“It’s all about angles, which lessens the weight,” Poletti says. “With the right alignment, a small, short stature woman can base, or hold, a six-foot man.”
And because students take turns in all positions, including spotting, many attend classes without a partner and end up gaining new friendships as a result.
Considering what’s involved, Partner Acro Yoga requires a lot of trust, communication, and focus – trust that the base can hold, the flyer won’t fall, and the spotter will help if either falters. And open communication between all parties is required to ensure the poses are executed efficiently and safely.
Verbal cues like, ‘I don’t feel like your foot is in the right place,’ or ‘I’m starting to slip’ help to correct posture.
“With everyone so wrapped up and focused on their phones these days, it’s great to practice being in the moment. For the base and flyer, it’s about feeling what needs to happen to achieve a pose and then verbalizing that to your partner,” Poletti says.
Though the safety of students is serious, the overall tone of a Partner Acro Yoga class is anything but. Instead, it’s fun and playful.
“It all goes back to being a kid – playtime that many grown-ups miss out on,” Poletti says.
Some falls and slip-ups are inevitable resulting in heaps of bodies or “love puddles” as she calls them. An exercise in not taking life too seriously, Partner Acro Yoga is not just great for established relationships, but also a way to make new friends or break the ice with a new boyfriend or girlfriend.
GRAB YOUR PARTNER
Skip the solo workout and make it a couple or group outing.
GravityFit trampoline workout at Defy Gravity
$10 per class or $40 for unlimited monthly pass
Info: defygravity.us/wilmington
SUP Yoga Outing at Salty Dog Yoga & Surf (Three-person minimum)
$45 per person
Info: saltydogyogasurf.com
Private Surf Lesson for Two at WB Surf Camp
$95 per person for two hours
Info: wbsurfcamp.com
Friday Night Socials at Babs McDance
$15 per couple ($10 for single) for 30-minute lesson followed by open dancing and cash bar drinks
To view more of photographer Megan Deitz’s work, go to www.megandeitz.com
